After a two year long hiatus away from the ring, eight division boxing champion Manny Pacquiao will be returning to boxing against Errol Spence Jr on 21st August in Las Vegas.
The announcement of the fight was made by both boxers on their respective social media handles on Friday afternoon, with Spence Jr, the current WBC and IBF welterweight champion adding, “Done deal ! see y’all in Vegas for the biggest fight of the year” on Instagram.
On top of that, Mike Coppinger of The Athletic added that as per sources, the fight will likely head for MGM Grand Conference Center, the venue of Pacquiao’s last two fights against Keith Thurman and Adrien Broner in 2019.
Pacquiao vs Spence Jr: How things look like for both fighters?
Currently 42 years of age, Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) is the only boxer in history to have won titles across eight different weight classes. The WBA (Super) welterweight titleholder defeated Thurman via split decision back in July 2019.
Despite the two year gap between his fights, the Filipino senator is least bothered about losing his touch of finesse with the gloves and believes himself to be “faster and stronger” compared to the undefeated Spence Jr.
“It’s been two years since I’ve fought,” Pacquiao told The Athletic from The Phillippines, “I’m not worried about (ring rust) because a long layoff is good for me after being in boxing for 25 years before that. It’s good to rest. It’s given my body a chance to recover.”
While Mike Coppinger reported the MGM Grand to be the venue fr the fight, Pacquiao desires to head for the Allegiant Stadium, home of the NFL side Las Vegas Raiders with a seating capacity of 70K.
A former Olympian, Spence Jr, (27-0, 21 KOs) holds the unified status at 147 and gained preference to be pacquiao’s comeback opponent over Terence Crawford, Mikey Garcia and even Ryan Garcia, none of which reached legitimate talks due to several reasons including the pandemic.
An IBF welterweight champion since May 2017, Spence Jr clinched his green and gold belt against Shawn Porter on 28th September 2019 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. “The Truth” was last seen in action against Danny García on 5th December last year at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, where he defended his WBC and IBF titles.
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